Praise for Whole Church"Mel is a thoughtful analyst of church life today. Best ofall--he actually does what he writes about. This book can leadto new levels of engagement for your church."John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park PresbyterianChurch"Mel Lawrenz's vision of a local church that actually reflectsthe wholeness and beauty of God as it engages with the Lord, oneanother, and the community is a much-needed call back to God'soriginal Plan A - a plan that has too often been cast aside inthe name of specialization, church growth, and expediency."Larry Osborne, North Coast Church, and author, Sticky Churchand Spirituality for the Rest of Us"Wow! This book is for every Christian leader who wants to movetheir church from a narrow self-focus to active engagement in theworld with all the resources and possibilities of heaven."Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church"While Mel Lawrenz's 'four kinds of engagement' aims atcongregational application, it also creates a template thatindividual Jesus-followers can use for self-evaluation of what itmeans to be the church today. The final 'dynamics' section is worththe price of admission for church leaders."Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future and MissionalRenaissance"Having known Mel Lawrenz for thirty-five years in variouscapacities as student, intern, colleague, and eventual successor assenior pastor of Elmbrook Church, I can testify to his keen mind,his profound respect for and knowledge of history, hisforward-looking curiosity, and his undoubted communication gifts.Add all these to his many years as a seasoned practitioner ofchurch ministry, and the result is this very helpful book, WholeChurch."Stuart Briscoe, author, Flowing Streams and broadcaster,Telling the Truth

About Leadership Network IXAcknowledgments XIPart OneWhole Churches and Fragmented Churches 11 Fostering Whole Churches 32 Conflict and Fragmentation 193 Getting the Whole Church Engaged 29Part twoFour Kinds of Engagement for the Twenty-First-Century Church 394 Engage with GodClosing the God Gap Through Worship and Teaching 415 Engage with God's PeopleClosing the People Gap Through Real Koinonia 596 Engage with Your CommunityMore Than a Thousand Points of Light 777 Engage with the WorldA Whole Church for the Whole World 93Part threeThe Dynamics of the Whole Church 1038 The Dynamics of Cohesion 1059 The Dynamics of Momentum 12310 Creating a Culture of Change 13711 Church CrisesThe Make-or-Break Moments 15312 Failures and Successes in Communication 16113 Choosing Wise Leaders 173Afterword 181Notes 183The Author 185Index 187